A Window of Opportunity
by Lady Stranger
Summary: "Miss Swan. It has come to my attention that you have been spotted publicly indecent. I can easily charge you with a legal offense, that could possibly land you in jail..." LNDT series, ch1. SQ, rated T for cursing.


I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owners.

A Window of Opportunity

One-Shot

She receives the text message late at night. Emma thinks it's weird that anyone would send her at 4 a.m in the morning, but she is far too intrigued to simply fall back asleep and ignore the message.

When she sees it's actually from Regina, that's when she stumbles to click the bedside lamp open, and straightens herself to sit upright. She can sense that whatever Regina wants with her, it's not good. Not that there was anything good about Regina's texts when they were sent during an appropriate time. So with a final sigh, she taps on the message icon, and reads the contents:

**Miss Swan. **

**It has come to my attention that you have been spotted publicly indecent. I can easily charge you with a legal offense, that could possibly land you in jail. However, and in order to avoid that, I have bended the rules. For Henry's sake, of course. So be thankful. You will have to immediately report to my home office though. 6 p.m. sharp, don't be late.**

Emma looks at her phone in horror, mouth agape, face burning hot with embarrassment. She closes her eyes, and remembers the time she felt too lonely, and had went to her bug in order to relieve some…'bent-up' sexual stress. Her roommate had had a 'friend' over; David, but she had really needed to some sort of release after a particularly stressful evening around madam mayor. So naturally, the only place she could get that kind of privacy, was in the back seat of her yellow bug.

"This could not be happening..." Emma starts panicking as she paces around her bedroom. She all but rushes to her previously discarded clothes, and puts them on. She slips on her boots next, pocketing her phone and wallet.

In 5 minutes, give or take, she's already at the front door of the big white mansion of one Regina Mills. Emma thanks her lucky stars that the streets were empty, which if they weren't, Emma would have had a lot of explaining to do.

"Well, she never said anything about being early..." Emma knocks on the door once, then twice, ignoring the fact that she might've as well woken up Henry with a huge, comical hammer. But she could not possibly wait another minute without addressing this problem hanging over her head like a ticking bomb.

"Miss Swan," Regina emerges from behind the now-open door, "how nice of you to show up way…way ahead of time." She gives Emma a beautiful fake smile, but one that's lacking its usual venom. The fact that she's beyond annoyed, though, does not go unnoticed by Emma.

"Madam Mayor." Emma greets, "I can wait out here for the remaining two hours before knocking again if you want." She chooses sincerity, but she is also being overly nice due to the fact that Regina could end her social, and work life in an instant.

_A little butt sucking couldn't hurt. _

_No, Emma. Don't picture that._

_Don't!_

_Great..._

_Stop picturing it._

_Stop!_

_Think naked granny..._

_Okay we're good._

She blushes, and looks anywhere but at the Regina. The brunette catches the crimson blushing, and smirks in triumph. Mission accomplished, she thinks, she finally has the upper hand after Emma's win at the mines from a few weeks back. Henry simply couldn't stop bragging about the blonde to his friends, and Regina had heard him on several occasions mention Emma to his friends as 'mom', so naturally she needed some pay back, "come in, Miss Swan."

"There might be something wrong with your head, however. I clearly said to be here at 6 p.m, and not 6 a.m." She looks back then, and narrows her eyes, "I wonder if your kind of stupidity is infectious, miss Swan." She shrugs, "well, just to be safe, you might want to stay away from Henry. I wouldn't want him turning up like you."

"Ha ha, Regina."

The mayor chuckles, "I wish I was joking, dear."

Emma follows Regina all the way to the kitchen, both of them keeping their distance and silence. Regina motions for Emma to take a seat round the counter, and pours Emma a glass of cider that had been already sitting on the kitchen island when they came inside.

Emma wonders if Regina had been drinking when she sent her the txt, but dismisses the idea. The brunette is very much sober, and up and about. She looks around, taking in the exquisite design taste Regina has. Everything seems overly classy, and in one way or another, perfect. Frankly, Emma is afraid to touch anything. So she doesn't. They're not on good terms, but she knows the real reason the Mayor never allows her inside because she wouldn't fit in; she'd dirty her flawless wooden floors and ideal furniture, and with her mere presence she'd suck the class out of the whole mansion.

Regina notices the blonde fidgeting, "what is it, Miss Swan?" She frowns.

"Nothing...it's just.." Emma trails.

"What?" Regina is clearly growing impatient.

"It's the first time," Emma locks eyes with Regina. She plays with her fingers nervously, and continues, "that you let me inside your house and I don't feel like you're about to strangle me."

"Oh," is all the brunette says. She couldn't actually say that the urge to rid herself of the blonde is very much still burning inside of her, and the fact that she couldn't makes her want to say something insulting to put the blonde back into her place. She turns around instead, feeling the guilt creep its way inside her head. She finds that she's been feeling much of that lately. As she lock her browns with Emma's blues, she tries to drive the guilt away, but this time, it stays there. She sighs, and tightens her grip on the island.

_How is it that even when I'm winning, I'm losing? _

"About the charges," Emma starts after a contest of staring that she had lost, "thank you for not filling any."

"What?" Regina had forgotten her own lie. Well, half-lie.

Emma looks at her in confusion, but notices the brunette's lack of knowledge of her public rendezvous she'd had with her vibrator a few days ago.

Emma takes out her phone, and flashes it at Regina.

"Oh," Regina smirks, "that little issue. Well, then. You must promise not to do it again. In writing."

Regina grabs a paper and pen from a drawer, and slides it across to the blonde. "Write it down, and then pledge that you'll never do it again."

Emma looks at the paper, and back at the Mayor. "okay, but tell me exactly what to write. I'm not good with these things." Emma lies. She knows exactly how to write an official apology, or testaments. She just wants to know what it is that she did. She wants to make sure the brunette wasn't just playing one of her games.

"Fine, Miss Swan. I keep forgetting that you are perfectly useless." Regina rolls her eyes, and sighs heavily.

"I, Emma Swan, promise to never..." She waits for Emma to write, "touch myself…" Emma looks up at the brunette with questioning eyes, but continues writing.

"..in public. Sign it. " Regina finishes.

After she's done writing, Emma locks eyes with Regina and signs her name. "When have I ever done that?" She asks in shame, but not breaking their contact.

"A few days ago, in your deathtrap of a car." Regina immediately shoots back.

"How did you know that?" Emma complains, her voice loud but shameful, "were you watching me?"

"People complained, Miss Swan. And I am Mayor, if you can remember. I know everything that goes on in my town." Regina smirks through her practiced reasoning. The fact is, she was there. And the fact is, she did watch the whole thing.

Emma just nods, and gulps the rest of her cider. Regina takes the paper, and places it back in the drawer, before offering a refill, which the blonde eagerly accepts.

"Miss Swan," Regina starts, "I would like to propose a suggestion, if you're willing to listen like an adult."

Emma eyes the brunette, not buying the friendly tone Regina is going with, "what's the trick?" She asks.

"No trick. Those are for children, and teenagers...which I keep forgetting that you are one," she takes a sip from her own glass, and continues, "just forget about it, then."

"No!" Emma leans closer, "please tell me, Regina."

With her glass Regina hides a smile that only a fool would believe it to be a smile, "very well, Miss Swan. I shall give you another chance." She gulps down the rest of her cider, and sets the empty glass in the sink. "I would like to suggest some sort of humane relationship based on honesty between two adult people, who clearly desire the same thing from one another, and are willing to be civil."

"What now?"

Regina smirks, "I would like to suggest some sort of humane relationship based on honesty between two adult people, who clearly desire the same thing from one another, and are willing to be civil." She repeats.

Emma can't believe what she's hearing, "so you want to be friends?"

"No!" Regina shrieks, "I would like to suggest some sort of humane relationship based on honesty between two adult people, who clearly desire the same thing from one another, and are willing to be civil."

_Wow, it's like a broken record._

"Do I need to spell out every word for you, Miss Swan?" She leans closer, "I. Would. Like. To. Suggest..."

Emma lets out a chuckle then, and brings a palm to cover her traitorous mouth. Regina frowns at the action, and Emma could see the anger flashing through brown eyes.

"Miss Swan, it is not friendship that I seek, just a relationship.."

Emma interjects, "uh-huh."

"All I'm suggesting, Miss Swan, is some sort of relationship based on honesty between two adult people." She shakes her head, and flails her hands around, "now, is that too much to ask? or perhaps we're not on the same page? In that case-"

Emma interjects again, "no! I mean yes. I mean we are on the same page. Lets be friends."

"Who said anything about being 'friends'?" Regina is genuinely confused now, "didn't you listen to anything I said? We should develop some sort of humane relationship based on honesty between..."

_Were you really this nervous that you practiced, Regina?_

"-two adult people who clearly desire the same thing from one another, and are willing to be civil. Right! I get it. That's already the 6th time you've said it tonight, Regina." Emma finishes for her.

Damn it, Regina thinks. She knows I've practiced this.

"Good. There's nothing wrong with your hearing, Miss Swan." Regina tries to regain control, and steers away the conversation.

Emma wouldn't have it, "you keep saying that, but it just sounds to me like, 'hey, lets be friends.' Don't be shy, Madam Mayor. Everyone wants a friend or two." She winks then.

"Oh, dear. You think I'm shy? I am the furthest from anything resembling shyness." She grins, "I once bathed in a river in nothing but a golden pin in my hair."

_Awesome image. Just the thing that I need right now._

"Well, I once kissed a lawyer during her closing argument."

_Her?_

"I slept in a barn, naked."

_You are naked in my mind right now, Regina._

"I was in a play, and acted in front of 3 thousand people."

"I played piano in front of 16 thousand people."

"I fell in love before."

"Hah! so did I! Step it up, Miss Swan."

Emma leans even closer, and whispers Regina's way, "a couple of days ago, I sneaked out in the middle of the night, and fucked myself in the backseat of my bug."

Regina's eyes instantly grow wide. She eyes the blonde, and wonders how the hell they got this close. They were both on their feet, and were inches away, separated by the counter. But she'll be damned if she backs down first. Regina Mills never loses a fight.

She locks her eyes with Emma again, and seductively whispers, "I broke into the police station, and fucked myself on one of the beds there." She bites her lower lip, and releases it with a delicious pop, "I fucked myself so hard, I came all over the bed sheets. My fingers were so drenched with my juices, I could actually quench my thirst with it." She lets out a sexy sigh, "and maybe I did."

Emma gasps, and bites on her lower lip hard enough for her to bleed. She blinks, trying to keep herself from picturing it in her head. Or stop herself from picturing it. She glances at Regina, and watches her chest rising and falling heavily. She opens her mouth, but it falls closed right away. She closes her eyes instead, willing her arousal to calm down. But it's not working.

Regina watches the blonde as she closed her eyes, and mentally scolds herself for revealing too much. She stares at her pink lips, and wonders how the hell she held it in and not kissed her yet, because she certainly wants to do that badly.

A minute passes, and Regina is the first to break the silence, "I guess I win." She waits for the blonde to open her eyes, but she doesn't.

"I guess you win, Regina." Emma's voice is throaty, and wanton. When she finally opens her eyes, Regina is staring at her from under her lashes. The scene is so out of character for the both of them, but Emma couldn't help but feel how natural it was.

She couldn't help but feel that where they were going was the right direction.

That rather than a contest, this was a window of opportunity for so many great possibilities.

The Mayor licks her lips, and speaks again, "we can be friends, if you'd like, Miss Swan."

"I like."

"Very well, then."

Regina escorts Emma to the door, "good night," she says awkwardly.

They stare at each other for a few beats, before Emma reaches down, and presses her lips to Regina's cheek. The fact that the contact lingers for far longer than appropriate, is not mentioned by any of the women.

"Good night," Emma says when she pulls back. She gives Regina a small smile, and runs off into the darkness where her car is parked.

* * *

A/N: If this sounded familiar, it's because it's chapter 9 from 'Lets Not Do This', which I've taken down because to be perfectly honest, I won't be able to go through with all 50 planned chapters. I'm unstable when it comes to my health, and re-writing everything to suit a one-shot type of stories will allow me to not worry whether I could finish this fic or not.

For those who were following that fic, I apologize. Though if you read all the LNDT series of one-shots I will upload in the future, you will pretty much get the ending you were waiting for.

Thank you for reading, and please tell me what you think!


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